Fading Embers

Affability

Affability is a social skill. It allows you to influence how people feel about you, and use their fondness for you to push them a bit farther than they would go for others. Those with exceptional skill in Affability can talk others out of blinding rages or into potentially suicidal actions.

The above rapport options reflect a personal relationship with another creature. The actions of any particular creature towards you are going to be strongly influenced by their intelligence level and their alignment in addition to their rapport with you. A helpful evil character may still stab you, and a murderous good one may still stop you from being stabbed. A helpful chaotic character may go out of their way to make your life interesting, even when you don’t want it to be, while a hateful lawful character may bend the rules to worsen otherwise trivial bureaucratic roadblocks for you. A helpful executioner may still lop off your head, even if they feel really badly about it. In short, these rapport values help determine what the creature does within the bounds of their temperament and duty towards you, not determine their actions towards you universally.

Similarly, creatures that don’t have a personal relationship with you don’t necessarily have a rapport that matches up with the actions they’re taking against you. Just because a creature that does not know you attacks you on sight does not mean that their rapport with you is murderous. It more likely means that their rapport with you was unfriendly and you were invading their territory, that they’re evil and they felt like picking on you, that they’re a brigand trying to rob you to make a living, or some other “business as usual” reason. If there happens to be a strong racial enmity between your race and theirs, their rapport with you might even be hateful. But they are extremely unlikely to be murderous towards you, as the emotions that power a hate stalker are very focused. As a general rule, bandits should be indifferent, guards defending their home from armed invaders should be unfriendly, racial enemies with long standing feuds should be hateful, and the poor barkeep that you personally drove over the edge when you ruined their life (intentionally or otherwise) should be murderous.

These rapport values with strangers allow you to use these skill abilities to talk yourself out of fights and make friends of those who would be your enemy because of circumstance as opposed to personal reasons. Remember, the question your DM should be asking is “how does this creature feel about the character” and not “what is this creature doing to the character”.

Sometimes you can present an agreement or offer that the other party is hesitant to accept. Maybe you have to talk people into going along with a crazy plan or otherwise helping you out when they don’t really want to, or maybe they’re just being indecisive. You can push them a bit and get people to agree when they otherwise might not, just because you’re a nice guy who knows how to talk to people.

Before you can use this ability, a course of action must (usually) be ironed out that the parties involved could conceivably agree to. If you propose an agreement or a course of action that the other party accepts without falsehood, no check is needed. When both parties agree to a deal there is no need to push it and no need for a period of compliance since both parties will want to uphold it anyway. If you discern that a target is lying about their intent to complete an agreement, you may push it normally. Agreements that you push will fall into one of three categories:

A favorable agreement is one that the target would accept happily, but has some minor reason not to do so immediately. You may need to push a favorable agreement on a target that is looking for a better deal than the one offered, a target that wants to discuss the agreement with others first, or a target that does not understand why it is in their favor. Favorable agreements bestow a -5 modifier to the DC.

A tolerable agreement is something the target would consider agreeing to, even if it’s not something that would make them happy. Most hard fought compromises (political and otherwise) fall into this category. A tolerable agreement cannot involve the target doing something self-destructive, against their nature, or otherwise completely opposed to their values, duties, obligations, or self-interest. Tolerable agreements do not modify the DC.

A repugnant agreement is one that may be against their nature, self-destructive, or anything else the target would strongly object to. These are the sorts of things that people simply don’t agree to unless tricked or pushed extensively. You cannot push a repugnant agreement with this ability; any attempts to do so will automatically fail and drop the target’s rapport by one step.

After spending one minute convincing and cajoling, make an Affability check against a DC of 13 + the highest CR of the opposing side + the highest Wis modifier of the other side + the rapport modifier of the other side, -5 if the agreement is favorable for that side. A “side” is defined as a group of targets that are willing to be bound by the same terms, and as such there are no hard limits on the number of targets you can make accept an agreement. A target’s acceptance of and feelings towards the deal are indicated in the check results below, as well as a minimum amount of time that they will abide by the various types of agreements. If you fail to live up to your part of the agreement (if any) and the target learns of your violation, they may also break the agreement regardless of the time that has passed. They may instead try to convince you to comply, depending on their temperament, the nature of the agreement, and the severity of your violation.

If there are multiple sides involved, such as when a treaty between two warring factions is brokered by a third party, you make only one check and compare the result to the DC for each side. Likewise, creatures on the same side may have differing rapports, in which case you compare your result to the DCs for each rapport category on that side. If you succeed on pushing an agreement onto a portion of a group, you may still wind up with the whole of the group going along with the agreement. This generally happens when you convince a leader or a majority of the group to accept your agreement. While this can get an agreement in place, it won’t stop unconvinced members from attempting to sabotage or obstruct the agreement if they are sufficiently opposed to it. You will almost always have better results if you convince more people of the merits of your plan (regardless of its actual merits).

Note: This skill may be used on a player by an NPC at some point, especially if the players are being indecisive. In those cases, you should accept that everybody gets fast talked once in a while, and that it might happen to your character once in a while too. An NPC successfully using this ability on you is not very different from one using the suggestion spell, except that they can’t force you to do objectionable things. You should just roll with it, treating the NPC appropriately based on how well they convinced you to participate.

DC+10 and above: They agree to the deal, and feel pretty good about it regardless of how opposed they were initially. They will stick to the terms of the agreement unless given substantial and new reasons to abandon them.

DC+5 to DC+9: They agree to the deal, and feel pretty good about it for a while. They will stick to the terms of an agreement for at least a day, or until completed, after which time they may have second thoughts.

DC+0 to DC+4: They agree to the deal, and feel pretty good about it at first. They will stick to the terms of an agreement for at least 8 hours, or until completed, after which time they may have second thoughts.

DC-1 to DC-5: They agree to the deal, and feel alright about it at first. They will stick to the terms of an agreement for at least 1 hour, or until completed, after which time they may have second thoughts. If they agreed to a tolerable agreement, they are no longer bound to uphold it after that period and may break, distort, or attempt to re-negotiate at their discretion; additionally, their rapport with you decreases one degree (but not worse than the lower of hateful or their starting rapport).

DC-6 and below: They refuse the deal, regardless of its terms, and continue on as normal. New terms must be proposed if a deal is to be reached, and they should generally be better for the other side. If you offered a tolerable agreement, their rapport with you shifts negatively one degree (but not worse than the lower of hateful or their starting rapport).

You know how to win friends and influence people, and a smile or kind word from you can melt even the coldest heart. With a bit of time, you can get people to like you more than they otherwise would. This is a natural shift in rapport, one that is not magically enforced. If you mistreat or disappoint a person after changing their rapport with you, they are likely to respond more negatively than before. No one likes fakers, after all.

With 10 minutes of interaction and an Affability check, you can positively change the attitude of your target towards yourself or another person or group. The base DC for this check is 13 + their CR + their Wis modifier + their rapport modifier. The degree to which you improve your rapport with them is determined by your check result.

You may affect one target per rank in Affability with a single use of this ability. If you are attempting to improve your standing with multiple targets, your check is compared against each of their individual DCs, affecting those with a lower CR first. If you succeed on getting a portion of the group to like you, the rest may accept you more readily even if you do not attempt to gain their favor as well. If you are worried about saying something terrible in front of a well regarded individual, you can instead impress their friends and allow them to speak well of you.

You may not retry this check during the same encounter, but you may use it on someone multiple times over multiple meetings. If you use this ability on a person who remembers you in a later encounter, their actual rapport modifier is replaced by a +10 DC penalty. It is difficult to remake a strong impression, after all.

DC+10 and above: You shift their rapport 3 steps in the positive direction, to a maximum of helpful.

DC+5 to DC+9: You shift their rapport 2 steps in the positive direction, to a maximum of helpful.

DC+0 to DC+4: You shift their rapport 1 step in the positive direction, to a maximum of helpful.

DC-1 to DC-5: You fail to shift their rapport at all.

DC-6 and below: You say something that they take absolutely the wrong way and shift their rapport 1 step in the negative direction (to a minimum of hateful or their initial rapport with you). They probably won’t assault you for it though.

Sometimes people try to stab you before you can give them a reason not to. You can delay a hostile creature from attacking you and your allies with just a moment and a well turned phrase. Delay is the key word here, as it does not last long and you may not be able to hold an opponent back once the attack has begun.

Using this ability is a standard action, allowing you to affect up to one opponent per rank in Affability. You make an Affability check against a base DC of 11 + the highest affected CR + their Rapport modifier. If any targets are being led by an opponent with Intimidation, they may choose to replace this base DC with that check result. Each individual target can also choose to replace this base DC with their own Intimidation check, though they must stick with the result even if it is lower than the DC would otherwise be. If any of the targets, or any ally that you wish to stop aggression against, have begun fighting, the DC is increased by 5, and each subsequent check this encounter increases the DC by +2.

If you succeed, your opponents pause their aggression. Affected targets will not approach within 30 (or approach further if they are already within this distance) or take offensive action on their turn. They may take defensive or support actions, however, including maneuvering for position, healing, buffing, and so on. If you wish to delay them after that point, you must succeed on an additional check on your next turn or give them some other reason not to attack, such that they change their mind on their own. Any obvious attempt at escape as well as any obviously aggressive action by you or your affected allies automatically ends this delay, leaving your attackers free to do as they like.

DC+10 and above: Your opponents aren’t really sure how to proceed with your group. This effect lasts up to 4 rounds, as long as you don’t take any offensive actions or attempt to flee.

DC+5 to DC+9: Your opponents do not take any offensive action against your group this round or the next, unless you attack them first or attempt to flee.

DC+0 to DC+4: Your opponents do not attack you this round. They may circle you or threaten you, but they don’t take any offensive action against you or your party unless you attack them first or attempt to flee.

DC-1 to DC-5: You fail affect anyone at all. If their intent was to bring violence to you, that is what your opponents do.

Crowds love listening to you, and tend to like you better afterwards. While addressing a crowd of any size, you can try to make them friendlier to yourself. The effect of this is similar to Seriously Likeable, but on a wider and less personal scale. If you have 10 minutes to address a crowd, whether it’s from a podium or the chopping block, you can make an Affability check against a DC of 15 + the average CR of the crowd + the average Wis modifier of the crowd + the average rapport of the crowd. If you succeed on the check, you positively change the rapport of a number of people indicated by your check result by one step. In crowds of mixed CR, you always influence the lowest CR individuals first.

You may reuse this ability on the same crowd multiple times as long as you have not failed so badly as to sour them, but no member of the crowd can be affected more than once. Later uses may be easier than earlier uses however, since the prevailing rapport of the crowd will eventually improve as you succeed. For those affected, this shift in rapport is natural and is not enforced by anything. If you mistreat or disappoint a person while their rapport has been changed, they are likely to respond more negatively than before. Even if you don’t mistreat the person, their rapport will likely revert back to its original level unless you spend time earning it.

Base DC: 15 + the average CR of the crowd + the average Wis modifier of the crowd. Can be rushed.Check Result:

DC+10 and above: You shift the rapport of up to ten times your ranks in Affability worth of individuals by 1 step in the positive direction. You can not shift a rapport beyond friendly.

DC+5 to DC+9: You shift the rapport of up to five times your ranks in Affability worth of individuals by 1 step in the positive direction. You can not shift a rapport beyond friendly.

DC+0 to DC+4: You shift the rapport of up to twice your ranks in Affability worth of individuals by 1 step in the positive direction. You can not shift a rapport beyond friendly.

DC-1 to DC-5: You fail to shift the rapport of anyone in the crowd.

DC-6 and below: You fail at working the crowd, and shift the prevailing rapport of the crowd one step negatively. This is not a shift in individual rapport and will pass quickly, but for now they are less warm to you and your cause than they were before. You may not use Campaigner again on this crowd.

When you turn on the charm, marshals find it hard to inspire either courage or ire against you and even berserkers find you difficult to hate. You can counter morale effects and rage and anger effects just by talking to your foes.

As a standard action, you can make an Affability check to suppress morale bonuses, rage bonuses, or emotion effects. The DC for this check is the effect’s save DC + the effect’s level (in the case of spells like Bless) or 10 + the effect user’s character level + the effect user’s Cha modifier (in the case of class abilities like Rage or Inspire Courage). If you succeed on the check, you suppress any such ability as indicated in the check result table below. You can affect up to 1 target per 2 ranks in Affability, but you compare your roll to the DCs for each effect to see which are suppressed and which are not.

DC+10 and above: You suppress the effect for 3 rounds without additional checks or actions, at the end of which it is dispelled.

DC+5 to DC+9: You suppress the effect in your targets for this round, and may continue suppressing it for up to two additional rounds without an additional check. You must spend a swift action in the additional rounds to keep the effects suppressed. At the end of that time the effects return if their duration has not expired, though you may make a new check as a standard action to suppress them again.

DC+0 to DC+4: You suppress the effect in your targets for this round. Next round the effects return if their duration has not expired, though you may make a new check as a standard action to suppress them again.

DC-1 to DC-5: You fail to affect the ability this round, but may try again next round if you like.

DC-6 and below: You not only fail to impact the targeted effect, but also plant your foot firmly in your mouth and become unable to affect this instance of the targeted effect at all. Any further retries against this instance of the effect are automatic failures.

Sometimes people walk off buildings, just because you asked nicely enough. This ability allows you to push repugnant agreements, with two stipulations. First, it takes five minutes (instead of one minute) to convince targets of such a course of action, though this can still be rushed appropriately. Second, pushing a repugnant agreement increases the DC by 5. Use the following check results when attempting to push a repugnant agreement; this ability otherwise functions as, and effectively replaces, Push an Agreement.

DC+10 and above: They agree to the repugnant deal, and feel pretty good about it regardless of how opposed they were initially. They will stick to the terms of the agreement unless given substantial and new reasons to abandon them.

DC+5 to DC+9: They agree to the repugnant deal, and feel pretty good about it for a while. They will stick to the terms of an agreement for at least a day, or until completed, after which time they may have second thoughts. They are no longer bound to uphold it after that period and may break, distort, or attempt to re-negotiate at their discretion.

DC+0 to DC+4: They agree to the repugnant deal, and feel pretty good about it at first. They will stick to the terms for at least 8 hours, or until completed, after which time they may have second thoughts. They are no longer bound to uphold it after that period and may break, distort, or attempt to re-negotiate at their discretion; additionally, their rapport with you decreases one degree (but not worse than the lower of hateful or their starting rapport).

DC-1 and below: They refuse the repugnant deal, and continue on as normal. Their rapport with you shifts negatively one degree (but not worse than the lower of hateful or their starting rapport).